Laundry bag



Dec. 4, 1934. E c GWALTNEY I 1,983,451

LAUNDRY BAG Filed Nov. 9, 1931 2 SheetsSheet l Patented es. 4, 1934 TESTENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention is a laundry bag or laundry net 01" dy bag or net whichis made to last longer than the usual bag or net by a distribution andselection of particular weaves, the additional life 6 and resistance towear not substantially increasing the weight or cost of the bag. Whilecapable of use as a dye bag or net the invention, for convenience, willbe described as a laundry net.

.The usual laundry net or laundry bag tends to 10 wear out in the lowerhalf of the bag. This is 'due to the fact that one end of the bag isusually held in a constricted and closed position by pinning, and thisconstriction forces the clothes in the bag toward the bottom, and makesa bulge in the bottom half of the bag. Since these laundry nets aresubjected to rolling and tumbling in the washing machines, most of thewear occurs in the lower half of the bag. Holes of substantial size willbe worn through the lower half of the bag, while the upper half isnearly as good as new, but

the presence of these holes necessitates the dis carding of the entirebag.

While the life of a bag can be increased by making the bag of heavieryarn, or by providing the whole bag with a closer mesh, the use of a.

heavier yarn is objectionable, first because it increases the weight andexpense of the bag, and presents just this much, more weight of yarnwhich must be washed and handled and dried in each laundry operation; soalso the use of a finer mesh, which utilizes more threads, increases theweight and cost of the net.

The applicant, in the present invention, increases the life of a laundrynet very substantially and yet does not increase either its weight orits cost, by making the upper part of the bag, where the wear isrelatively light, of a coarser mesh than usual in a bag of correspondingweight and utilizes the yarn thus saved in making the lower part of. thebag, where the wear is relatively heavy, of a mesh closer than usual ina bag of corresponding weight, thereby increasing the du'-1 rability ofthe lower part of the bag.

The invention is particularly applicable to a 5 seamless tubular laundrynet of leno weave where the warp is substantially uniform for the entirelength of the bag.- 4 The coarseness of the mesh in the upper part ofthe ba and the closer mesh in the lowerpart of the bag are effectedthrough control of the weft or filling. The resulting bag, as has beennoted, is no heavier and contains no more yarn than a bag ofcorresponding size and weight, yet has a substantially greater life thana bag of corresponding size and weight which is provided with a uniformmesh throughout,

The ratio between the coarse weave in the upper part of the bag and thecloser weave in the lower, part of the bag may be approximately as oneto one, that is to say about 50% may be coarse weave and 50% closerweave. However, this may be varied within a reasonable range and in thepreferred embodiment of the invention about 40% of the bag may be madewith the coarse mesh, while the lower,60% may be made with the closermesh.

The invention, in its broader aspects, is as above described, namely,providing the upper part of the bag with coarse mesh, preferablysubstantially uniform, and in providing the lower part of the bag with acloser mesh, preferably substantially uniform, thereby reducing the bulkand weight of the bag and increasing its life. The bag or net may, ifdesired, be provided with certain accessory features, but it should beun-' derstood that while certain gof these accessory features are deemedimportant, the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to theuse of such features, and they may, if desired, be

omitted and the claims are to be so construed;

These accessory features are a pinning band at or near the mouth of thebag, the upper edge. of which may be provided with an overcast seam,lateral reenforcing bands in the body of the bag, a friction band, atabby bottom and an overcast seam, at or near the bottom of the bag.These features will now be described.

In order further to prolong the life of the bag, it is provided'near itsupper or open end, with a pinning band of substantial width made ofplain weave. The leno weave is best for the body of the bag, because ofits large mesh, but a leno weave is not as durable against pinning as aplain weave, and so the provision of a pinning band of plain weavesubstantially increases the life of the bag.

At the bottom of the bag there is provided a friction band of plainweavebelow which is a tightly woven, single ply plain weave forming a tabbybottom. The tabby bottom completes the bag. An overcast seam is providedalong the lower edge of the tabby bottom to prevent raveling.

The friction band is an important feature; the overcast seam tends tofold back on the bag and rub against the bag, especially if the bag isturned inside out, as is oftentimes done. The overcast seam, which is a.heavy, hard seam, rubs against the mesh of the bag and if it rubsagainst a leno weave would tend to wear through such weave. In order toprevent this wear; the friction band is provided at or near the bottomof the bag, against which the overcast seam. may bear, when and if bentback against the bag. This friction band is formed by the band of plainweave just above the tabby bottom.

In a modified form of the invention the upper half, or substantially theupper half, of the bag may be made of a leno weave. Substantially thelower half of the bag is made of a plain weave, which is more resistantto wear than the leno weave, the result of which is that the life of thebag is substantially increased, yarn being taken away from the upperpart of the bag where it is not needed, and applied to the lower part ofthe bag, where it is needed, to take care of the greater wear in thelower part of the bag. The change from the leno weave to the moreresistant plain weave substantially increases the life of the bag.

The ratio between the leno weave in the upper part of the bag and theplain weave in the lower part of the bag may be varied, the preferredrange being 50% of each, or 40% of leno to 60% of plain weave. Thismodification of the bag may be provided with pinning bands and frictionbands as described in connection with the first embodiment of theinvention. 1

In the patent to Howe 1,572,605 dated Feb. 9, 1926, isolated reenforcingbands are used, but in this patent certain portions of the mesh in thelower part of the bag between the bands is as open as the mesh in theupper part, and such portions would be weak and would quickly beruptured. Again, this patent does not teach the art to lessen the amountof yarn used in the upper part of the bag, and use the yarn therebysaved by forming a closer mesh in the lower part of the bag.

In the patent to Elliott 928,642 dated July 20, 1909, isolated squaresof close and open mesh are disclosed, but there is no teaching in thispatent as to any difference in the mesh in the upper and lower parts ofthe bag.

The invention may also be carried out by providing a number of laterallyextending zones in which the mesh gets progressively closer, consid-'ered from the open end of the net or bag to the closed end.

The invention will be further described in connection with theaccompanying drawings showing in more detail the present preferredembodiments thereof.

In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view, partly broken away, of a illustrating the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modified form;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

, Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are side views of four other modifications.

Referring now to these drawings, in which similar reference charactersindicate similar .parts, the laundry bag illustrated in Fig. 1 "is ofthe leno weave type, made tubular and seamless, the same warp threadsextending longitudinally of the bag, that is from top to bottom, orlengthwise thereof. The upper part 2 of the bag is made of a leno weavesomewhat coarser than the leno weave in net a similar type of bag ofcorresponding weight.-

The warp threads of this weave are indicated at 4, while the weft orfilling threads are indicated at 6. The coarseness of the weave iscontrolled by the amount of filling used. The lower part 8 of the bag ismade of leno weave, the weft or filling 10 being closer than in theupper part of the bag to form a mesh which is closer than in ,the upperpart of the bag 2, and which is closer than the lend weave in a similartype of bag of corresponding size and weight. By virtue of the closerweave in the lower part 8 of the bag, this part is made much stronger,and has substantially increased resistance to wear, than the upper part2 of the bag. Since, as has been explained, the greater part of the wearoccurs inthe lower part of the bag, the life of thebag is verysubstantially increased. However, the total amount of yarn used, and thetotal weight of the bag, is not increased, because less yarn is builtinto the upper part 2 of the bag, where there is not much need forstrength, and the yarn thereby saved is built into the lower part 8 ofthe bag, substantially increasing its strength where strength is needed.

The ratio between the coarse leno weave 2 and the closer leno weave 8may be about 50% of each, although, in the present preferred embodimentof the invention thereis about 40% of the coarse leno weave, as at 2,and about 60% of the closer leno weave as shown at 8. If desired, thiscould be reversed, and about 60% coarse leno, with 40% closer leno,could be used.

While the lower part of the bag is thereby sub stantially strengthenedby the closer mesh 8, the bag is still entirely eflicient for itspurpose, because the leno weave in the lowerpart of the bag is stillsufliciently open to permit the ready flow of the hot, soapy water orother liquid into and out of the bag. 105 In order further to strengthenthe bag, the bag is provided around its upper or open end with a pinningband 12 made of plain weave, the plain weave being preferable because itis more resistant to pulling out than is leno weave. This 110 pinningband may be at the mouth or open end of the bag, or may be set in alittle way from the open end.

The body of the bag may be provided with one or more reenforcing bands14 of plain weave. Near the bottom of the bag, at about the line 16, theleno weave 8 changes over into a close mesh plain weave formingafriction band 18 extending around the bag near the bottom.. This band18, of close mesh plain weave, is substantially stronger than leno weaveand forms a friction band the function of which will be described below.

At about the point indicated at the line 20, the

two plies 18 of the friction band are merged or woven together to form atabby bottom 22, which tabby bottom is thick, hard and stiff like veryheavy duck, this tabby bottom serving to close the bottom of the bag.The tabby bottom is made by fbeating up the weft threads very tightly,so as to make the hard stiff band. The lower edge of the tabby bottom 22is provided with an overcast seam 24 for preventing raveling. The tabbybottom serves an important function in that it closes the bottom end ofthe bagand eliminates the necessity of closing the bottom of the bag byturning up the bottom and stitching it, as is done for example in thepatent to Sitton 1,682,198 of August 28, 1928.

Coming now to the function of the friction band 18, the overcast seamand the tabby bottom tend in use to bend around and rub against the bodyof the bag, especially if the bag should be turned inside out, as isoften done in actual use. The overcast seam and tabby bottom would rubagainst the body of the bag and if it rubbed against the leno wave, itwould tend to wear through, since the leno weave is not very strong. Butwith the placement of the friction band 18 as has been described, theovercast seam and the 150 tabby bottom, if they bend around the body ofthe bag, will rub against the strong friction band 18, which is strongenough to take care of this friction.

Referring now to the modification shown in Fig. 2, there is illustrateda seamless, tubular laundry bag in which the upper part 25 is of lenoweave, while the lower part 26 is of a plain weave, the plain weavebeing of closer mesh than the leno weave. In this bag,'as in the otherform, the same warp 27 extends for the entire length of the bag. Afilling 28 is used in the upper part 25 of the bag in any desiredamount, preferably to give a rather coarse mesh since there isrelatively little wear in the upper part of the bag. The plain weave,relatively close mesh 26 is very resistant to wear and so the resultingbag is much stronger than if made of a leno weave like the upper part 25of the bag and yet the bag is lighter than a bag of corresponding sizemade of plain weave throughout, because of the lesser amount of yarnused in the upper part 25 of the bag. The plain and leno weave may beabout equal in area, although about 40% leno and 60% plain weave ispreferred. However, these proportions-could be reversed, and 60% lenoand 40% plain used. 7

One or more lateral reenforcing bands 29 of plain weave may be used asdesired, while the upper part of the bag may be provided with a pinningband 12 of plain weave, as in Fig. 1 while the bottom partof the bag maybe provided with a friction band 18, tabby bottom 22 and overcast seam24 as in Fig. 1.

In the, modification shown in Fig. 4,"there is diagrammaticallyillustrated a net or. bag 30, provided with a number of laterallyextendingzones 32, 34 and 36, the mesh in zone 32 being relatively open,that in zone 34 being closer, while the mesh in zone 86 is still closer.As in theother forms, this bag is preferably leno weave, seamless andtubular, with a uniform warp, the variation in the mesh in the severalzones being effected by increasing the amount of weft or filling.

The modified bag or net 40 shown in Fig. 5 has four zones 42, i4, 46 and48, wherein the mesh is most open in zone 42 at the mouth of the bagand. progressively increases toward the bottom zone 48, where the meshis closest. This form of the bag, and also the form in Fig. i, may beprovided with a pinning band 56, friction band 52? tabby bottom 54 andovercast seam 56, as.de scribedin connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

The netsshown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, may, if de sired, be provided withone or more longitudinally extending bands 58 of leno weave, the mesh ofwhich is finer than the adjacent parts of the bag.

In the modification shown in' Fig. 6, the body portion 60 of the net'isleno weave of anyof the types heretofore described; the mouth or openend of the net is provided with a relatively narrow band 62 of plainweave, the-upperedge of which is provided with an overcast seam 64. Thisband 62 is soft and pliable and particularly useful in preventingraveling. In Fig. 7, the plain cast top 68. These modifications may beincorporated in the forms of the invention shown in the other figures.

The'bags illustrated, by reason of the selection and placement of theyarns, as has been described, have a durability and life substantiallygreater than the ordinary commercial typesof laundry bags, yet withoutany appreciable increase either in weight or cost or amount of yarnused. While the preferred embodiments of the invention have beendescribed in some detail, it should be understood that the invention isnot to be limited to the exact details and proportions shown, but may becarried out in other ways as falling within the scope of the followingclaims:

I claim as my invention:

-1. A-tubular, seamless leno weave laundry bag wherein approximately thelower half of the bag is of closer weave than the upper half of the bag,the leno weave, near the bottom of the bag, changing. over into atwo-ply plain weave, 'the two-ply plain weave at its lower edge, beingwoven together into a single ply for forming a tabby bottom, the outeredge of the tabby bottom being provided with an overcast seam, thetwo-ply plain weave forming a friction band for protecting the bagagainst friction from the overcast seam.

2. A tubular, leno weave laundry bag wherein the warp is uniformthroughout the bag, while,

the filling in approximately the upper half of the bag is made more openthan usual in a bag of corresponding weight, while the filling inapproximately the lower half of the bag is made closer than in a bag ofcorresponding weight, whereby the lower half of the bag is substantiallystrengthened and is stronger throughout than the upper half of the bagyet the amount of yarn used, and the weight of the bag, are notincreased, all as compared with a bag of corresponding size and weight,the leno weave, near the bottom of the bag, changing over into'a two-plyplain weave, the two-ply plain weave at its lower edge, being woventogether into a single ply for forming a tabby bottom, the outer edge ofthe tabby bottom being provided with an overcast seam, the two-ply plainweave forming a friction band for protecting .the bag against frictionfrom the overcast seam.

3. A tubular, seamless leno weave laundry bag having a substantiallyuniform warp for the length of the bag, the leno. weave, near the bottomof the bag, changing over into a two-ply plain weave, the two-ply plainweave at its lower edge, being woven together into a single ply forforming a tabby bottom, the outer edge of the tabby bottom beingprovided with an overcast seam, the two-ply plain weave forming afriction band for protecting the bag against friction from the overcastseam. I

4. A tubular, seamless leno weave laundry bag having a substantiallyuniform warp for the length of the bag, the leno weave terminating nearthe mouth of the bag and changing at such point to a. plain weave ofsubstantial width, for forming a pinning band near the mouth of the bag,the leno weave, near the bottom of the bag, changing over into a two-plyplain weave, the two-ply plain weave at its lower edge, being woventogether into a single ply for forming a tabby bottom, the outer edge ofthe tabby bottom being.

the bottom of the bag, changing 'over into a twoply plain weave, thetwo-ply plain weave at its lower edge, being woven together into asingle ply for forming a tabby bottom, the outer edge of the tabbybottom being provided with an overcast seam, the two-ply plain weaveforming a friction band for protecting the bag against friction from theovercast seam.

EUGENE C. GWAL'I'NEY.

